Dubrovnik
is the city of the highest historical and cultural value and of an outstanding
artistic importance. The town fortifications, ramparts and towers outside
the walls were built, reinforced and reconstructed in the period from
the 12th to the second half of the 17th century. A number of constructors
were involved in those works (Nicifor Ranjina in 1319, Michelozzo di
Bartholomeo in 1461-1464, Juraj Dalmatinac or George the Dalmatian in
1465-1466, Paskoje Milicevic in 1466-1516, Antonio Ferramolino in 1538,
Mihajlo Hranjac in 1617, etc.). The main wall is 1,940 m long (following
the ring-corridor), 4-6 m wide on the mainland side and 1.5-5 m wide
on the sea side, and up to 25 m high. It was reinforced by three circular
and 14 quadrangular towers, five bastions (bulwarks), two angular fortifications
and a large fortress called Sveti Ivan (St. John). Among the towers,
the most monumental is the circular tower of Minceta, on the north-western
co-rner of the ramparts. The reinforcement, along the main wall on the
mainland side, includes one la-r-ger and nine -sm-aller semicircular
ba-sti-ons, and the casemate fortress Bokar, the oldest preserved fortress
of that kind in Europe. The town was also defended from two independent
fortresses: Revelin, on the eastern side, built in the per-iod 1539-1551,
and Lovrijenac, on the western side, situated at a 46-m high cliff above
the sea. According to the chronicles, their construction started in
1050. Dubrovnik had four town gates, the two of them toward the port
and another two (with bascule bridges) toward the mainland. The ramparts
around the town have been preserved in their original shape. They may
be reached from below Luza Zvonara or going along the church of St.
Salvatore on Poljana, a work by Paskoje Milicevic. From the entrance
below Luza Zvonara, the way on the walls runs above the Street between
the Gate of Ploce (to the left-hand side are Sponza, the Dominican church,
the church of St. Luke and the Annunciation; to the right-hand side
are the town port and Revelin). Over the interior part of the Gate of
Ploce the way goes up to the tower of St. James (to the left-hand side
is a nice view on the town) and continues near the towers Drezvenik,
Nad sv. Vidom (Above St. Vitus), Sveta Lucija (St. Lucy), Sveta Barbara
(St. Barbara) to Minceta. From here, the way descends along the towers
Gornji Ugao (Upper Corner) and Sveti Franjo (St. Francis) to the interior
part of the Gate of Pile (this is the end of a visit of the northern
section of the walls). The sightseeing tour of the southern part of
the walls continues along the tower Puncijela (a view on Lovrijenac
to the right) and Bokar (a view on the town to the left and on the open
sea to the right), as well as along the towers Sveta Marija (St. Mary),
Mrtvo Zvono (Dead Bell), Zvijezda (Star), Sveta Margarita (St. Marguerite),
Sveti Stjepan (St. Stephen), Sveti Spasitelj (St. Salvatore), to the
angular fortress Sveti Ivan (St. John; a view on the town port, Srd
Mount and the eastern part of the town). The way leads farther along
the town port above Duke Damjan Juda Street, above the Gate of Ponta,
along the back side of the Duke's Palace, the National Theatre and above
the Arsenal, where it descends below Luza Zvonara.

Since the ancient times, the centre of public life has
been Luza Square. It continues toward the west into the main artery
of the town core, the so-called Placa (Stradun). On the northern side
of the square is the Sponza Palace, and in the middle of it the Orlando's
Column from the 15th century, with a knights's statue, carved in stone.
This was the place where all public announcements and proclamations
but also public punishments were taking place. The knight's right arm,
from fingertips to elbow (carved also on the pedestal of the column)
was the official unit of length (ell) of the Dubrovnik Republic. On
the southern side is the Baroque church of St. Blaise (built by Marino
Gropelli in 1706-1714); the gold-plated, silver statue of St. Blaise
with a scale model of the town from the mid-15th century (on the main
altar) and two stone statutes (St. Blaise and St. Jerome), works by
the Brac sculptor Nikola Lazanic from the end of the 16th century, are
originally from the old church of St. Blaise from the 14th century.
The eastern side of Luza is enclosed by Luza Zvonara, the Town Belfry
and the Main Guard House. The bells from Luza Zvonara (built in 1463)
were used to mark the beginning of the council sessions and to call
alerts. The construction of the Town Belfry was mentioned in the documents
from 1444. The clock with two wooden human figures (so-called "zelenci",
"greenies"), striking the hours, was made by Luka, a son of
the admiral Miho (cast in bronze by an anonymous master in 1476). The
present bell (from 1506) is a work by Ivan Krstitelj Rabljanin. The
Town Belfry was completely restored in 1929. The Main Guard House was
built in 1706-1708 by Marino Gropelli. In front of it, partly in the
niche, is the so-called Small Onofrio's Fountain, whose figure decorations
were made by Petar Martinov from Milan by the end of the first half
of the 15th century. Next to it is the Town Hall, built in the Lombardian
neo-Renaissance (1863-1864, according to the designs by Antonio Vecchietti).
The National Theatre (called Bonda's Theatre) also belongs to the structural
complex of that period. This was -also the original location of the
buildings of the Upper Council (first mentioned in 1303, extended in
1489, destroyed by a fire in 1817) and the Great Arsenal (first mentioned
in 1272, pulled down in the mid-19th c.; a part toward the town port
has been preserved). Next to the Town Hall is the Duke's Palace, in
the present form a Gothic-Renaissance structure, built according to
the designs by Onofrio della Cava, on the location of a fortified palace
from the 12th or 13th century, which was destroyed in a powder explosion
in 1435. After another explosion of powder in 1463, the ground-floor
portico was restored in Renaissance style by Petar Martinov from Milan.
The palace was severely damaged by an earthquake in 1667 and the repairs
(until 1739) were done by the constructor Jerolim Skarpa from Korcula.
The interior of the palace features an atrium with arcades (on three
sides on the ground floor and on four sides on the first floor). A monumental
staircase leads to the rooms on the first floor. On the left-hand side
is the entrance to the former archives (painted closets from the Rococo
period). The atrium also keeps a bust of Miho Pracat (a work by P. P.
Jacometti from 1637), the only monument of the Dubrovnik Republic to
any citizen of merit. Above the gate to the former building of the Upper
Council is the inscription: OBLITI PRIVATORUM PUBLICA CURATE (Having
forgotten your private concerns, dedicate yourselves to public affairs).
The eastern side of Po-ljana Marina Drzica is enclosed by the bishop's
(former Sorkocevic's) palace. Along with it runs Duke Damjan Juda Street,
all the way to the fortress of St. John (housing today the Aquarium,
the Maritime Museum and the Ethnographical Museum). The church of Our
Lady of Karmen is a Baroque structure (1628-1636). One of the paintings,
attributed to C. Regio, represents the Sorkocevic summer mansion on
Lapad. South of Poljana Marina Drzica is the old town part called Pustijerna
(access below the arcades). Resticeva Street houses the Renaissance
Skocibuha Palace (Bizzaro-Ohmucevic; built by Josip and Ivan Andrijic
in 1549-1553, according to the designs by Anthony of Padua), the best
preserved private structure built before the earthquake of 1667, and
the Gothic Zamanjina Palace. Stulina Street features the ruins of the
early Croatian, later reconstructed church of St. Stephen, mentioned
already by Constantine Porphyrogenitus (around the mid-10th c.). The
western side of Drziceva Poljana is enclosed by the monumental front
of the Baroque Cathedral, built in the period 1672-1713 on the location
of an earlier Romanesque cathedral, which was destroyed by the earthquake
in 1667. The design was made by A. Buffalini and the constructors were
P. Andreotti, P. A. Bazzi, Father Tommaso Napoli and Ilija Katicic,
who finally finished the construction. The church keeps the paintings
by Padovani, J. Palma the Younger, G. G. Savoldo, Parmigianino, Bordone
and other. The main altar features the large polyptych of the Assumption
of Our Lady (on the sides: Sts. Blaise and Lazarus, Sts. Nicholas and
Anthony the Abbot), a work by Tizian and his assistants, created after
1552. The Cathedral Treasury (entrance to the left of the main altar)
keeps a number of golden and silver reliquaries of various shapes. It
also keeps a large wash-basin with a pitcher from gold-plated silver,
which represents the flora and fauna of Dubrovnik (a work by W. Jamnitzer,
around 1550). - Androviceva Street leads to the foot of the stairway
Uz Jezuite (Near the Jesuits), designed in 1735 by P. Passalacqua. The
stairway leads to Poljana Rudera Boskovica, with the Baroque Jesuit
church of St. Ignatius (finished in 1725 according to the designs by
A. Pozzo). The apse behind the main altar houses the wall paintings
by G. Garcia (1737-1738), while the bell tower houses the oldest bell
of Dubrovnik, cast in 1355 by Viventius and his son Viator. Next to
the church is the Baroque building of the former Dubrovnik College (built
in 1735 according to the designs by the Jesuits Ranjina and Canauli);
the main entrance features a relief with an inscription from 1481. Strossmayerova
Street leads to the stairway to the west. The former monastery of St.
Catherine houses the Music School now; the foundations and crypt of
the church of St. Peter the Great, the first Dubrovnik cathedral, with
numerous fragments of "pleter" (interlacery ornaments), have
been found in the former church. Farther from Strossmayerova Street,
in the street called Od Rupa, is a large two-storey structure, the so-called
Rupe (Holes); the former granary. It was built in the period 1542-1590
(restored in 1940); under the building are 15 large dry wells (capacity
about 1,500 t), drilled in live rock, with a constant temperature of
17.5 °C. The building now houses the Rupe Museum. From there, through
the street called Od Domina, one reaches Siroka (Broad) Street. The
Domino church was built on the location of an earlier church destroyed
by the earthquake in 1667. According to the crypt, the old church was
a three-nave structure; one of the preserved aisles is now the sacristy.
The palla of the main altar was made by A. Vaccaro. - The trading artery
of the present Dubrovnik is the street called Od Puca. On its southern
side is the church of St. Joseph, built after the earthquake in 1667
on the location of the destroyed church of St. James from 1299. Opposite
of it is the Orthodox church (1877) with a cultural and historical collection
and a collection of icons. To the east, the street continues to Gunduliceva
Poljana, with a monument to the poet Divo Frana Gundulic (a work by
I. Rendic, 1893).

On the northern side of Luza Square is the monumental
Sponza (Divona, Fondik). It was built in the period 1515-1522, in the
transitional style from Gothic to Renaissance, according to the designs
by Paskoje Milicevic; stone-masonry was done by Nikola and Josip Andrijic.
It was used as the customs house (therefore occasionally called Divona),
mint, national treasury, bank and fondaco (office for goods evaluation).
It was also the seat of Dubrovnik academies during and after the Renaissance.
On the ground floor, in front of the façade is a Renaissance
portico; the first floor has Gothic and the second floor Renaissance
windows. The yard is enclosed by corridors with arcades. The front loggia
(which today houses the original "Greenies" and the old clock
works from the Town Belfry) bears the Latin inscription: FALLERE NOSTRA
VETANT ET FALLI PONDERA - MEQUE FONDERO DUM MERCES, PONDERAT IPSE DEUS
(Do not cheat or falsify the measures; while I am weighing the goods,
God is weighing with me). The Sponza also houses the National Archives
of the Dubrovnik Republic (comprising about 2.7 million written pages
of various documents, agreements etc. from the 13th c. to the fall of
the Republic). - The way to the town ramparts starts from below Luza
Zvonara, along the Town Belfry. A passage leads through the walls to
the town port. Its construction started by levelling and filling up
of the channel between the island of Lava and the mainland. In 1266
four towers were built and in 1305 the coast was arranged. Adaptations
of the Arsenal (from the 13th c.) were made in 1489 by Paskoje Milicevic;
in 1535 the Arsenal was extended; a part of it was pulled down during
the construction of the theatre in 1863, and the other was converted
into a town coffee-house in 1933. - Through St. Dominic Street one reaches
the Dominican monastery and its church; the Dominicans came to Dubrovnik
in 1225. The construction of the present monastery complex started at
the beginning of the 14th century. The first known constructors of the
church (1315) were Nicholas and George, the sons of the protomaster
Lawrence from Zadar. The church was reconstructed on several occasions,
especially after the earthquake in 1667, after the French occupation
(when it was used as a horse stable and storage) and in 1883. On the
right-hand side of the church are The Annunciation with a number of
paintings from the history of the Dominicans in Dubrovnik (N. Bozidarevic,
1513), the exit to the street called Izmedu Vrata od Ploca (Between
the Gate of Ploce) (the former main entrance to the church, the only
Romanesque portal in Dubrovnik dating from the 13th c., supplemented
with an outer Gothic frame in 1419), the altar of St. Vincent Ferrer
with the saint's statue from the 15th century and the painting The Assumption
of Mary with a vedutta of Dubrovnik (signature of an unknown master
A. B. D., around 1648/1658). On the left-hand side are the altar with
the palla of St. Magdalene between St. Blaise and Raphael the Archangel
with the figure of a donator from the Pucic family (made by Tizian around
1554), the altar with a Baroque crucifix, the late Gothic stone pulpit
from the 15th century, the altar with the painting Wonder of St. Dominic
(Vlaho Bukovac, 1912) and the painting Descent of the Holy Spirit with
the figure of the donator Skocibuha (A. Vaccaro, first half of the 17th
c.). On the right-hand side, the sanctuary houses the chapel of the
Lukarevic family from the 15th century, with a triptych by Mihajlo Hamzic
from 1512, while on the left-hand side is the chapel of the Gundulic
family (Luka Paskojev, 1536), with a triptych (Nikola Bozidarevic, after
1458). The main altar (from 1603) features the painting of Our Lady
of the Rosary (a work by an anonymous painter from the 17th c.). Below
the arch that separates the nave from the sanctuary is the painted cross
by P. Veneziano from 1352. The sacristy was built in 1485 by Paskoje
Milicevic; it houses a wash-basin (end of the 15th c.), a big crucifix
(beginning of the 16th c.) and several tombstones. Above the sacristy
is the four-storey bell tower with the lantern. Its construction was
started by Cecho from Monopoli in 1390, and several local masters worked
on it in the period 1404-1531. The bell tower has three old bells, cast
in Dubrovnik; the first one from 1463 (Bartolomeo de Cremona), the second
one from 1515 (Ivan Krstitelj Rabljanin; John the Baptist of Rab) and
the third one from 1622 (Gaudencije Lastovac; Gaudentius of Lastovo).
The monastery cloister has corridors with slender arcades (transition
from Gothic to Renaissance); built by local masters according to partly
changed designs of Masa di Bartolomeo. On the eastern side of the cloister
is the chapter house with an altarpiece by Nikola Bozidarevic from 1513
and the tomb of the poet Dinko Ranjina (1531-1607). The museum keeps
valuable exhibits of Dubrovnik goldwork. The collection of paintings
comprises all periods since the 14th century (Tizian, Charonton, Lorenzo
di Credi, Vasari). The monastery library keeps 217 manuscripts (among
them also several illuminated codices), 239 incunabula, 16,000 printed
volumes, the charters important for the history of Dubrovnik; the most
valuable exhibits are the incunabula by A. Paltasic and D. Dobricevic,
as well as Savonarola's speeches from 1497. Next to the Dominican church
is the church of St. Sebastian (added in 1466-1469); during the French
occupation it was converted into a prison, and thus underwent considerable
changes. - The passage along the Baroque church of the Rosary connects
the street called Izmedu Vrata od Ploca with the northern main street
of the ancient Dubrovnik, Prijeko. To the left is the pre-Romanesque
church of St. Nicholas, later supplemented by a Gothic nave; in 1607
it was extended and a late Renaissance front (inscription and date on
the architrave) was added. The antependium of the main altar is a pre-Romanesque
stone tablet with the motifs of "pleter" (interlacery ornaments).
Uphill, through Zlatarska (Jewellers') Street, the way leads to Peline
Street (which follows the northern section of the town ramparts to the
Minceta tower). At the corner, in front of the former town gate of St.
James, is the church of St. James on Peline, with Romanesque features;
it was first mentioned in 1225. Zudioska (Jewish) Street descends from
Peline to Prijeko, in the part of the town known as the Jewish ghetto,
which existed in Dubrovnik as early as 1352. Here is also the synagogue
from the 15th century (with the 17th c. furnishings), one of the oldest
preserved synagogues in south-eastern Europe. In the street called Od
Sigurate is the small early Croatian church of Sigurata its aisles and
Baroque front were added later. Next to the church is the nun monastery
which keeps the oldest votive painting representing a Dubrovnik ship,
as well as the embroidery Washing of the Feet (according to the sketches
by Niccola di Pietro, 15th c.). Celestin Medovic Street leads to the
Placa. Next to the Gate of Pile is the Franciscan (Friars Minor) monastery
with the church. The construction of the monastery started in 1317 in
the Romanesque-Gothic transitional style. The church was probably finished
in 1343 and the bell tower in 1424 (after the earthquake in 1667 the
Gothic tip was replaced by a dome-shaped roof). The altar and intersections
belong to the period of Baroque onwards, only the pulpit dates back
to the 15th century. The church houses also the tomb of the poet Divo
Frana Gundulic (1588-1638). The sacristy, which was not damaged in the
earthquake, comprises the Gothic chapel of the Bunic family from 1472;
the altar of the chapel has the shape of a triple relic repository,
with paintings on wood. The late Gothic southern gate toward the Placa
(in the lunette Pieta, Our Lord on the top, St. Jerome and St. John
the Baptist on the sides) is a work by the sculptors Leonardo and Petar
Petrovic, made in 1499. The oldest preserved part of the whole complex
is the cloister, with features of the transitional style. The corridor
is framed on all four sides by a line of double hexastyles, with various
capitals which show a powerful impact of the Romanesque bestiary. The
first builder and stone mason of the cloister was Mihoje Brajkov from
Bar (in the southern section of the corridor is his tombstone). After
his death (1348) the works on the cloister were continued by Miljen
Radomislic (1367) and Leonardo Stjepanov from Florence (1376). Dilapidated
parts were repaired in 1426 by Bozidar Bogdanovic and Radin Bogetic,
and in 1433 the construction of the stone balustrade (banisters) on
the terrace was continued by Ratko Brajkovic. The fountain in the middle
of the cloister was built in the 15th century. On the eastern side of
the cloister is the chapter house with seven chapels; it also houses
a treasury. The monastery keeps the utensils (15th-17th c.) of the old
monastery pharmacy, that existed as early as 1317. The monastery library
comprises more than 30,000 volumes, including 22 incunabula, about 1,500
manuscripts, 15 illuminated chorales, mostly from the 15th and the 16th
centuries, as well as numerous works of the ancient local music; an
outstanding item is the martyrology from 1541, written and illuminated
by Bernardin Orsat Gucetic from Dubrovnik. Opposite of the main entrance
to the Franciscan church is the church of St. Salvatore, built in the
Renaissance style (1520-1528, master Petar Andrijic). Among the paintings,
the most notable is the Assumption, a work by Petar from Urbin (1527).
Along the church is the way to the town ramparts. On the western extension
of the Placa, on Poljana Paskoja Milicevica, is the Big Onofrio's Fountain,
a sixteen-sided container with a cupola, as one of the ending points
of the ancient waterworks. The designs for it were made by Onofrio della
Cava in 1438 and the construction was finished in 1444; the cupola was
made by Petar Martinov from Milan. The fountain was partly damaged by
the earthquake in 1667. The southern side of Poljana Paskoja Milicevica
is enclosed by the former monastery of St. Clare, which underwent a
number of reconstructions in the 19th century. It was founded in 1290,
along with the earliest church of St. Blaise (from the 12th or the 13th
c.), which was later called the church of St. Clare (after the construction
of the monastery).

The huge yard with double arcades of the former cloister
is today used as a summer cinema and restaurant. The main artery of
the old town, the so-called Placa (Stradun), 292 m long, connects the
Gate of Pile with the Gate of Ploce; this is also the direction of the
main sewer, since the passing of the Regulations on Hygienic Measures
in the 13th century. On both sides of the Placa were shops. Paved with
stone in 1468, the Placa was restored after the earthquake in 1667 (simple
Baroque style, according to the suggestions of G. Ceruti from Rome).
Some houses have preserved the old type of entrance into the ground-floor
shops.

From Luza through the Street between the Gate of Ploce,
along the Gate of the Fishmongers and the Dominican church on the right
below the town rampart is the pre-Romanesque church of St. Luke, mentioned
for the first time in 1245. It was extended on several occasions; the
last time in 1787. Gothic statues above the door are probably works
by Leonardo and Petar Petrovic, from the end of the 15th century. Next
to it is the church of the Annunciation (so-called Nuncijata) with a
nice portal. It was built in 1536 (in the Renaissance style with some
Gothic elements) by Petar, son of Marko Andrijic; restored in 1910.
The road leads through the inner part of the Gate of Ploce (beginning
of the 14th c.); above the gate, in a niche, is the statue of the patron
saint of Dubrovnik, St. Blaise, the oldest of numerous statues of that
kind found in the town. The stone bridge leads over the town moat to
the foot of the fortress Revelin. Its construction began in 1463 according
to the designs of A. Ferramolino, but it got its present aspect in 1538.
Close to the eastern top of Revelin is the outer part of the Gate of
Ploce, the main entrance into the town from the east. The lifting mechanism
of the bascule bridge has been preserved. The bascule bridge continues
with the stone bridge from 1449. - The small square in front of the
gate is the starting point of several roads and ways toward Gruz and
Lapad, toward Bosanka and Zarkovica, as well as the connecting road
with the Adriatic Highway. Going through the suburban part called Ploce,
on the right-hand side one can see a deserted complex of buildings called
Lazareti (Tabor; quarantine hospital) from 1590. Fairs took place here
in the 19th century. On the left-hand side is the small old church of
St. Lazarus next to it was the first leprosarium (mentioned as early
as 1306). On the right is also the Emin Tower, the easternmost structure
of Lazareti; behind it is a cove with the public beach of Ploce. The
street known as Put Frana Supila bypasses the cove; on the left is the
Art Gallery and on the right the hotels Excelsior, Orsula, Argentina
and Villa Seherezada.

From Poljana Paskoja Milicevica the way leads through
the inner part of the gate and an interspace to the outer part of the
Gate of Pile, over the bascule bridge (lifting mechanisms have been
preserved) to the square in front of the Gate of Pile. From here the
one-way Put iza Grada (Way behind the Town) leads along the town ramparts,
and the stairway Uz Post toward Zagrebacka Street. In the vicinity are
-also the chapel of the Holy Cross on Posat (immediately behind Minceta
Tower), the very old chapel of St. Felice and the church of St. Andrew
(its apse is actually an early Croatian church, probably from the 9th
c.). In front of the Gate of Pile, on the northern side of the square
is the Baroque mansion of the Pucic family. The square called Brsalje
with plane trees stretches toward the sea. In the middle is the fountain
with the figures from Gundulic's pastoral Dubravka (work by I. Rendic,
1900); the colonnade offers a nice view on the fortress Bokar (left)
and Lovrijenac (right). A stairway leads from Brsalje to the small port.
The construction of the fortress Lovrijenac, on a high cliff above the
sea, started in 1050 (according to the chronicles); it was mentioned
in 1301 and reconstructed on several occasions, i.e. in 1418, 1464 and
1571. At some places the walls are up to 6 m wide. Lovrijenac has been
used as one of the most attractive open stages since the very beginning
of the Dubrovnik Summer Festival. The fortress bears the inscription:
NON BENE PRO TOTO LIBERTAS VENDIAURO (Freedom is not to be given away
for all treasures of this world.). - Ante Starcevic Street ascends gradually
and on the right-hand side one can see Hotel Imperial. To the left is
a branching road toward the park Gradac and the Dance peninsula. On
Dance is a votive church from 1457 (the main altar features a polyptych
by Lovro Marinov Dobricevic from 1465, and the side altar a triptych
by Nikola Bozidarevic). Next to it is one of the old Dubrovnik cemeteries.
The nun monastery is partly the former quarantine hospital. - On the
left side of Starcevic Street, next to the permanent stage of the Dubrovnik
Summer Festival, is the Crijevic mansion (later Pucic) with a Renaissance
chapel, park and colonnade. On the left are the General Hospital and
the Boninovo vista point; on the right is the way to the cemetery called
Three Churches, named after three ancient, later reconstructed churches
of St. George, St. Clement and St. Hilary. Behind the cemetery, the
way continues uphill, to the most beautiful Dubrovnik summer mansion,
Skocibuha-Bonda (1675-1688). From Boninovo one way leads to Lapad, below
the slopes of Petka. Another one, leading through the Gruz field, ends
in the Gruz Bay. On the left is a branching road toward Lapad. Along
the coast in Gruz are numerous former aristocratic summer mansions.
The Bunic-Pucic-Gradic mansion has the Renaissance ground floor and
the Gothic first floor, and a Gothic-Renaissance chapel on the large
terrace. The Renaissance summer mansion of the Bunic family, with the
storage for smaller ships - the so-called "orsan" - and a
terrace, was reconstructed in the 19th century. The Renaissance summer
mansion of the Gundulic family (built by the constructors from Korcula
in the 16th c.) has a chapel and a pavilion above the former "orsan".
The Renaissance Dominican monastery close to the pier was established
in 1427. It was reconstructed in the 19th century and destroyed during
bombardment in the Second World War. The Renaissance mansion of the
Natali family has a portico with arches on the ground floor and the
angular loggias on the first floor; in its immediate vicinity is a Renaissance
chapel, formerly within the mansion complex. The late Renaissance church
of St. Nicholas (patron of the shipbuilding guild) was built in 1527;
the main altar palla (its lower part represents a part of the Gruz port)
has been attributed to C. Regio. The Adriatic Highway descends to the
coast in Gruz, runs along the coast and continues into Rijeka Dubrovacka
near Cape Kantafig. - From Batala the road runs along the western coast
of the Gruz Bay. In Batala are the summer mansions of the families Majstorovic
(with the Renaissance ground floor and the Gothic first floor) and Getaldic-Gundulic
(with a chapel and an "orsan").

Farther along the coast is the mansion of Petar Sorkocevic
from 1521, with Renaissance arcades on the ground floor and Gothic monoforia
and triforia on the first floor. The back, newer part on the first floor
has an open loggia with Baroque wall paintings. The large garden comprises
a pond, a chapel and a large terrace. The restored mansion houses the
Institute of History of the Croatian Academy of Arts and Sciences. The
mansion of Luka Pucic has the Renaissance ground floor, while the first
floor features Gothic monoforia and triforia. The back side is adorned
with arcades. Above the Lapad field is an old mansion, a large Renaissance
structure with a terrace and a chapel; a wall encloses the terraced
park. In the immediate vicinity are the ruins of the Franciscan coenobium
of St. John with a small church, built for the purpose of defence. In
the middle of Lapad is a very old church of St. Michael (first mentioned
in 1290) with a cemetery. Closer to the sea is also the old church of
Our Lady of Charity (reconstructed in the 17th c.). Above it, on the
location of Gorica, is a small church of St. Blaise, reconstructed at
the end of the 19th century. - In the Sumartin Cove, at the end point
of the roads from Dubrovnik and Gruz, is one of Dubrovnik recreational
centres with a number of hotels and rest homes. In front of the westernmost
cape of the Lapad peninsula, Baterija, is an islet called Daksa.